Strands and a method of assembling them



April 9, 1935. B. K. FORD El AL 1,997,210

STRANDS AND A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THEM Filed May 13, 1932 5Sheets-Sheet l lNVENTORS 8. K. FORD L. L. WEAVER ATTORNEY April 1935- IB. K. FORD'ET AL 1,997,210

STRANDS AND A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THEM Filed May 15, 1932 5Sheets-Sheet 2 "9'; //vv/v Tops a. x. FOR 0 L. L. WEA VYER 7 8 R.

A TTORN Y April 9, 1935. B. K. FORD El AL 1,997,210

STRANDS AND A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THEM Filed May 13, 1932 5Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3.

B. K. FORD L.L. WEAVER 55 INVENTORS B. K. FORD EI'AL STRANDS AND AMETHOD OF ASSEMBLING THEM Filed May 13, 1932 April 9, 1935. 1,997,210

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 a. x. FORD 1.. 1.. WEAVER fiRMW A TTORNE) m m TOPSApril 9, 1935 FQRD ET AL 1,997,210

STRANDS AND A METHOD QF ASSEMBLING THEM Filed May 13, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS FORD L. LJVEAVER 8) ATTORNEY which embodiesPatented Apr. 9, 1935 ,STRANDS AND A'METHO'D or Q I THEM Ben K. Ford,Westfield, ford, N.-J., assignors.

AssnMBLING andLeo'L. WeavenCran to Western Electric Com pany,Incorporated, New )Iork,-,N.,Y., a. corporation of New York ApplicationMay 13,

' vjcl inis,

This invention relates to strands and a method of assembling them, andmore'particularly to'the continuous braiding of textile coverings forconductor cords. c

An object of the invention is. to'provide a strand assembly of a new andimproved construction, and an improved methodof producing the strandassembly. 7

In the preferred embodiment of the invention apparatus for moving astrand at different speeds and in forward-and reverse directions througha braiding machine is provided in order that a braided covering may be.appliedto the strand I which is of difie'rent texture or mesh;'andwhich is oppositely directed at different portions of the covering. Thereversal of the direction 'ofmovement of the strandpermits thebraidingofa second layer of covering over the first, and the vrestoration offorward movement permits the braiding of a third layer'ofcoveringwherebya reenforcement comprising aplurality of layers ofcoveringmay be produced on portions 'ofthe, strand. The braidingmaterial connecting one of the layers to another may beseveredtoperz'nit the outer covering to taper uniformly over the end ofa reenforcing portion. i These and other objects and'advantages of theinventionwill become apparent from the following detaile'd descriptionpf one embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanyf ingdrawings wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a braidingmachine; 1

Fig; 2 is an elevational view of the side'of-the same machine onwhichthe timing mechanism is carried; I

Figs. 3 and 4, when" perspective the driving andcontrolling mechanism ofthe braiding machinef I Figs. 5 and 6 show'in elevation an-electricalcord in partial stagesof'completion;

Fig. 7shows in elevation a completed cord in accordance with theinvention, and Fig; 8 is a-to'p plan view of the driving andcontrollingrnechanism of the braiding machine. Referring to thedrawings, in which like reference numerals designate"corresponding partsthroughout the several I Figs. 1 and"'2,"the strand assembling machinethe invention has airame I!) mounted onlegs H. posite cornersof the,frame lfl are upright posts 7 Hand !3 which supporta crossmemben l l.The frame it supports a braidinghead l8 of any placed side by side withfFig. 3 at'the left of Figgi; show-schematically'in ewe, and particularlyto Secured to diagonally op 1932, Serial no; 611,01

'(Cl.96-3) p well known type consisting of the usual rotatable carriersfor carrying theinner and outer sets of bobbins or cops; l9 and 20,respectively,-of any suitable braiding" material, preferably in the formof strands," such, for example, as thread or twine, the carriersbeingrotated by the motor 22, which is supported by the frame I'll,through the motor shaft 23;. gears 24 and 25, shaft 28,,

bevel gear 29, and toothed ring 30 (shown in Fig- 8). The braiding headl8 i'smountedi'n'the sta'-' tionary housing 32 supported by brackets 33on .theframem,- f As sho'vslninFigs; 1, 2 and'3 acylindrical tube 34having'a supporting flange 35 is vertically supported inthe frame It incoaxial relation to the rotatable bobbin" carriers:- Theftube 34 hasslidably'mounted' therein- "a; cylindrical tube 36 "which extendsabovethe top ofjthe The cut-- ed in the collar 45'- turned end forendwhen the upper end becomes dullil A' hollow'i'nandrel tube 41 extendsthrough the collar 45 coaxially thereof, and the mandrel 41 'isprovidedwith longitudinal grooves 48 over a considerable portion of itslength to receive the inner edges of the cutter members 46. The cuttermembers thus center the mandrel in the collar 45;-the' groovesofthemandrel cooperate with those of} the collar to" retain the cutters,and by reasonof theiact that grooves of the mandrel arelongerthanthecutters, relative axial movement between the mandrel and the collar 45is. permitted. The mandrel tube is providedat its upper end withaconicaltip 49 having a shoulder where it joins 'the mainbody oithemandrel, the tip '49 to the grooves of the mandrel. In the normal orlowered position of the edges of the cutter members are disposed withinthe slots inthe tip 49 at a" point slightly above the shoulder-44The-mandrel 41 fitsinto and is supported at its through lower end by ablock fifl which has oppositely ex-,

passing tending (pins: 5|

and are provided withi two' cutting edges in ordenthat' they may be I dI elongated slots 52 in thelower'portion'of the tube 36 andien- 7 tube34. The tube 36 is provided-with a plurality of holes 31 ar- 46 havingoblique cutbeing slotted to correspond mandrel the cutting;

supported by bars 59 supported by the legsIL. Thefshaft 58 has journalled thereon intermediate the sprockets 56 a sheave'62 for guidinga strand. The chains. 53 support a shaft 63 which has 1 journalled'thereon a sheave 64 also for guiding a strand.

At the base of the machine, brackets 61 are I provided for supporting asupply reel iflfcontain ing a continuous supply of'strand '69 which isto receive a braided covering. At thetop of the machine, on the memberI4, is mounted a bracket 70 which supports a grooved sheave II. Theupright post I3 supports a bracket I2 in which is journalled a shaft 13which has its axis substantially parallel to-the axis of the sheave II.A multi-grooved capstan 15 is keyed to the shaft. I3 in alignment'withthe sheave II; The capstan I5 is employed to advance a strand throughthe machine, and it is driven by the shaft I3 in agnslnner whichv willpresently be described; At, the base of the machine, brackets I8 areprovided for supporting a take-up spool;1 9 which is mountedon a shaft80andis driven in a manner to be described later.-

: thereon the gears The path of a strand or group of strandsthat is toreceivea'braided covering'isu-pward from the supply spool '68, oversheave 64, downward and under the sheave 62, up through the interior ofthehollowmandrel41,and outatthe top of the braiding head. The materialfrom thebobbins I9 and 20.is applied-to the strand to formrthe. braidedcovering just above the braiding head, as indicated at 84, which is thebraiding point. Aiguard bracket 85 havingan aperture through throughwhichthe braidedcord .may pass is mounted on themember I4and has the:guard portion 86 to prevent the braiding point from exceeding the desireddistance abovethe'braiding head. A vertically bored member 88 is securedto the member I4, andfrom the braiding point the braided cordpassesthrough the guard portion 85 of the member 85 and -through the mem-; ber88 to the firstgrooveof thesheave II and then to the first groove of thecapstan 15. The sheave and the capstanare preferably each provided withfour grooves, so that the cord may advance four times to the'capstanandreturn three times to the sheave. From the last groove of the capstanthe cord goes to take-up'spool, andisreeled thereon. a I The driveforthecapstan 15,.the take-up spool IS, the chains 53; and for. timingmechanism which will presently be describedais obtained from the shaft28 whichdrives the rotatable bobbin carriers, and which is drivenby'themotor 22. The shaft 28 has keyed thereto a bevel gear 90 thatmeshes with a bevel gear 9| carried by a shaft: 92;which extends into agear box 93. The gearbox contains change speed and reverse gearingshownin Fig. 4. v "Referring to Fig. 4, the shaft 02, which isjournalled in-the gear box 93, hasfreely rotatable.

w v e I00, IOI, and I 2,;each of which has secured thereto a notched ortoothed hubor collar, represented by the reference numerals I 04,

I05, and I05 respectively. The gears I00,;IOI, and I02differ from eachother in size and number of teeth, inthe preferred arrangement, the gearI00 has an annular groove,

freely rotatable multi-y less chain being the largest, the gear IOIspacedly adjacent thereto being the smallest, and the gear I 02 being ofa size intermediate those of the other two. The shaft 92 has mountedthereon intermediate the gears I00 and BI, a collar I08 which has teethat its opposite ends corresponding to the teeth of the hub members I04and. I05. The collar I08 is loosely splined or keyed to the shaft 92soas to be rotatable therewith and slidable thereon, and it I09 in theperiphery thereof in which is disposed a yoke portion I I0 of a .leverII I which is pivotally mounted at II 2. By

rocking the lever II I, the collar I08 may be moved into engagement witheither of the hub members [I 04 and I05 toestablish driving connectionbetween the shaft 92 and either of the gears I00 and I 0|.

The'shaft 92 also carries adjacent to the hub member I06 of the gear I02a collar II5 having teeth at one end thereof for engagement with thetoothed hub member I06. The collar I I5 is loosely splined or keyed onthe shaft 92 to rotate therewith and slide thereon, and is provided withan annular groovev I I6 in which is disposed a yoke I I! of a lever I I8that is pivoted at II9. Thus the collar may be movedinto engagement withthe hub member I'06-to establish driving connection between the shaftQZand'the gear I02.

The gear box 93 has journalled therein a shaft I25 which has its axissubstantially parallel with the axis of the shaft 92. The shaft I25 haskeyed thereto three gears I26, I21 and I28, meshing respectively withthegears I00 and IOI, and with the idler I29 which meshes with the gearI02. It previously stated relation-ships follows from the between thesizes of the gears I00, IOI, and I02, that of the gears on the shaftI25, the gear I21 will be largest and have the greatest number of teeth,7

the gear 26 will be smallest and have the smallest number of teeth. Thegear embodiment of theinvention, is of a size intermediate the gears I25and I21. secured thereto, a gear I30 from which the drive for alloperating parts of the machine except the bobbin carriers is obtained.When the collar I08 is in engagement with the hub member I04, the

shaft I25 is driven at its maximum velocity- When the collar is inengagement with the hub member, I 05, the shaft I25 is driven in thesame direction, and at its minimum,velocity. When the collar I08 is inits central position, and the collar H5 is in engagement with the hubmember I06, the shaft I 25 is driven at an intermediate velocity,

and by reason of the idler gear I29, in a reversedirection.

The gear I30-has meshing therewith a gear I3I carried: by a shaft I 32,which also carries a sprocket I34. The sprocket I34 engages an end- 7I33 which operates upon the sprockets I34 and I 35, and the idlersprockets I36. The sprocket I35 is carried by a shaft I38 which alsocarries the sprockets I35 and I40, and the gear Isl, all of which arekeyedto the shaft l38. The sprocket I35 is the driving connectionbetween the chain I33 and the shaft I38, so that the shaft I38 is drivenfrom the shaft I32, and in the same direction as the latter shaft.

The sprocket I39 which is secured to the shaft I38 engages and drives anendless chain I45 which also engages and drivesa sprocket I46 secured toa ,sh'aft I fl from which the take-up reel 19 is driven. The shaft I41carries a pulley I48 which is'preferably loosely mounted thereon androtatably connected thereto through a clutch mechanism of any suitableconstruction, and preferably operable to drive only in one direction. Inthe I28, in the preferred- The shaft I 25 has 1 a gear I50 '2 to thetake-up shaft 80. It is thus apparent that 01 the shaft I38.

53 toeievate the hollow mandrel tube 41.

' provided drawings, the clutch mechanism comprises a toothed memberI5El'secured to the pulley I48 and a cooperating toothed member I5I'slidably keyed I to the shaft. M! and urged into engagement with themember I59- by a spring I52.. The teeth 'of' the members comprisecooperating'shoulders and 7 end on the take-up spool shaft 80. The leverarm I58 supports a weight I51; by means of whichthe belt I54 iskeptunder sufficient tension to drive the shaft I58. The, shaft I56 hassecured thereto which meshes with a gear :I6I secured a drivingconnection is established between the shaft I38 and the take-upspool toeffect rotation of spool upon rotation of the shaft I38 in apredetermined direction; The teeth of the clutch mech- 1 anism are soarranged that the take-up spool will be driven to wind anadvancing-strand, but will not be drivento unwind.Thetensioning'arrangement including the lever arm and weight permitsslippage between the in Fig. 1, is also driven by the chain I45.

The sprocket I40 which is secured to' the shaft :38 operates an endless;chain I65 to drive a sprocket I63 which is secured to a shaft IB'I. The

shaft i5! has'secured thereto a gear I69 which meshes with a'gear I'H)that is secured'to the capstan shait F3. The capstan I5 is thusconnected.

bythe gearing, sprocket, and chain to the shaft E35, and is positivelydriven thereby in either .di-

rection as determined by the direction ofirotation As previously stated,the shaft I38 ha s'secured thereto a gear Ml. 'Thisgear meshes with anidler gear 53 which in turn meshes with a gear H4 secured to a shaft H5.The shaftI'I5 has secured thereto a sprocket I11 which supports anddrives anendless timing chain I18 that is, also supported by an idlersprocket H9. The apparatus associated with and controlled by the timingchain will presently be described. I I 7 As previously stated, a shaft51' has. secured thereto the sprockets 55 for operating the chain's Theshaft 51 extends through and is iournalled lin a stationary supportingmember $35 which is pro-.

' vided with teeth or notches at the end farthest from the sprockets 55.A second stationary sup-r port 85 for the shaft 5'! has journalledtherein a sleeve 5 84 which securedtheretoat the end. nearest to thesprockets 55 a collar I8! provided with teeth or notches similar tothose of the main L35. Atits other end, thelsl eeve I84 has secured asprocket I89 which meshes with and is driven by the endless chain IE3.Theshafti'l is also journalied in the sleeve 93d and has slidablysplined or keyedthereto, intermediate the toothed members 585 and iS'E',a collar 93 which is provided at bothends with teeth corresponding toth-ose'of the adjacent members. The collar S0 is witha'n annular grooveI9i ,in the periphery thereof which receives one end of a lever I beltI54 and associated 2 pulleys, and thereby allows the speed of rotation vment arm I92 that is pivotedat I93. 'It' followsfrom the abovedescription that'by rocking the lever arm I92 in the proper direction,the .collar' I96 maybe moved into engagement with the rotating collar"I81to rotate the sprockets 55 and move the chains 53 toelevateftheman'drel'tube'. 4?; or it maybe moved into engagement with thestationary. meme ber I85 to positively lock'thechains 53 and mandreltube in a stationary position.

It has previously; been stated" that guiding sheave 64 supported by thechains 53. Fig. 3 clearly indicates this construction, as well asv thefact that. when the mandrel tube is elevated, the sheave 64 will descendan equal distance, and thepath of the strandfromthe supply reel tothelower guiding sheavewill be shortened. The tension on the strand atthe supplyreel will thus be reduced, the strand :thatadvances to thebraiding point with the mandrel will include. the surplus from thestrand. is carried by a shaft 63 that is thestrand path, endless thanenough to accom J pany the mandrel will be unreeled. When the mandreldescends; the strand path will increasein length, and some of the strandwhich would accu- 'mulate as slack will be absorbed into the strandpath. 7 Thus the amount. of; slack caused'bythe descent ofthe-mandrelwill be less than'itwould be with an unvarying strand path.

7 Referring to'FigS. 2, cranes 9; anagram I having an elongated slot 231therein :is pivotally" supported parallel to and above the timing chainI18 by lever arms 292 and 203 pivotallymountedin 255 respectively. The vstationary supports 204 and pivot shaft 208 which'carnesthe leverarrn253;

has secured to the other. end thereof a lever arm 209 which is disposedin the path of one of the. the mandrel block 59. The

pins 5I' that support lever arm-293supports a counterweight 210 whichcooperates upon movement of the timing bar 288 in either direction toinsure bar and associated levers. mounted on the uppersurface thereof abracket 2 I2, and atone end an arm2 53 extending outin' alignment withthe bar and having at its outer end a portion 2| I extendingtransversely of the bar. The baralso carries a 'lugor stop 2M adjustablelongitudinally ofthebar and-secured in any predeterminedposition .by anysuitable means such as a screw2l5 extending "through the slot 2M.

When the timing bar is in the position shown inv is disposed in the pathof a pin 2I6 carried by thetiming chain, I18, the normal Fig. 3,.the lug2 I4 full movement of the The timing bar 209 has movement of which is inthedirection indicatedby the arrow. When the pin advances intoengagementwith the lug it imparts a longitudinal moveto the timing bar, whichis. suspended from the lever. arms 282 and 293, and which therefore.suffers an accompanying upward movement, until the'lug 2 Idclears thepin.;

' Mountedon the frame of the machine adj acent' to thetiming bar bracket2I2 is a-rock shaft22fl which supports mercury switches, preferably twoin. number, identified" by the reference numerals 22I and'222. Each oftheseswitches consists of a I I tube of suitablemat'erial, such forexample, as; glass, closed at both ends, and partially filled withmercury; Each tube has twoorl more con-f I tact electrodes sealedtherein and extendinginto the tube to have'anelectricalcircuittherebetween closed by the mercury when the tube is tipped tov flowthemercury into contact with the electrodes.

Theswitch' 22! preferably has two electrodes whereby one circuit isclosed or opened upon rocking the shaft..223.. The switch 22 2preferably has three electrodes,.so

thatone circuit is opened switch to the position shownin broken lines;The several positive clutches which have pre-1 and one is closed uponrocking the shaft 220 in. either direction.

The shaft 220 has mounted thereon at the end adjacent tothebracket'a-lever arm 223 which is connected by the tension spring 224to the bracket 2I2. The spring 224 is so-positioned that a shortlongitudinal'movement of the timing bar will cause the spring to moveacross the axis of the rock shaft 229 and exert atension on the upperendof'the lever arm223 to rock the shaft. The bracket 2I2has a hookshaped portion at the upper end which, when the timing bar moves to rockthe switches HI and 222 fromrthe dotted position to the full lineposition, will bear against the lever arm 223until the spring passes theaxis of the shaft 220 and exerts a tensionjon the lever arm to completethe movement thereof. The lever. arm will then be drawn out of the pathof the. hook shaped portion of the bracket, and it will not interferewith the movement of the timing bar;

Nearthe end of the timing bar that carries the arm 2I3 is journalled'in;a stationary support arockshaft230 whichsupports a mercury switch 23Iarm 232, a connecting link 233, and a: leverarm oftheportionlll ofthe'arm2I3. I The cylindrical tube 36 carries near its lower end asupport for a rock shaft 249 which has secured thereto a mercury switch24I, preferably having three contact electrodes, and a lever arm 242.The tube 36 also'carries'a. lever 244 pivoted thereto at 245, and urgedin an upward direction by means of the tension: spring 246. The lever244 is disposed below'and in the path oflone of. the mandrelsupportingpins BI; and its outer end is connected by a tension spring 241 to theouter end of the lever arm 24 2;v When the mandrel supporting block 50is in its lowermostposition,-v the pin 5Ikeeps the lever 244 depressedtomaintainthe mercury switch Him the position shown in full lines. ment'of the chains 53, the lever 244 pivots about the point 245 under theinfluence of the spring 2 35 .to carry thefspring 241 past the axis ofthe rock shaft 24iljto rock the shaftandmove the viously beendescribedfor effecting speed changes in thedriving mechanism andforcontrolling the operation of the chains53 are operated by elec-.tromagnetic means, preferably solenoids. Current for energizing thesolenoids maybe obtained from anyconvenient sourceof electrical energy,"such as the usual one hundred ten volt line consisting of the conductors248 and 249, the latter of which may have one side of a double poleswitch 250 therein for completing the'circuit; I The other side oftheswitch 259 is connected in one'side of a powerline '25I of suitablethe motor 22; A solenoid 252 has its armature 253 pivotally connectedtothe lever I82' which. controls the clutch'collar I99, the arrangement;being suchthat when the solenoid is energized, the 2 collar is kept inengagement with the stationary member I85, and when the solenoid isdeenergized, a tension spring 254 connected toflthe lever I92- drawsithecollar into engagementwith the rotatable member I81. One side of thewinding'of the solenoid 252 is connected by a conductor256 to an endcontact of the mercury switch- 24I ,the center contact of which isconnected by aconductor 258 that is preferably provided with twocontact. electrodes. 7 The shaft 230 is connected by a lever When theblock rises due to move-' I the'lever arm 283.

potential for operating to the conductor 249v of the power line. Theother side of the solenoid winding is connected by a conductor 251 toone of the contacts of the mercury switch 23I, which has its othercontact connected by a conductor. 259 to the conductor 248 of thepowerline. 1

- The lever -II8 which operates the reversing clutch collar 1 I5 isnormally held to keep the collar I I5 out of engagement with the hubmember I96 by a] tension spring 262, and is pivotally connected to thearmature 263 of a solenoid 264. The solenoid is energizable to draw thecollar into engagement'with the toothed hub member I06. One side of thewinding of the solenoid 264 is connected by a conductor 266 to the thirdterminal of the mercury switch MI, and the other side of thewinding isconnected by a conductor 261 to an' end terminal of the mercury switch222, the center terminal of which connects through the conductor 259 tothe line conductor 248.

The lever I I I which operates the high and low speed forward clutchcollar I08 has the transversely extending arms 210 and 21I to which arepivotally connected the armatures 212 and 213 respectivelyof thesolenoids 214 and 215 respectively. The solenoids 214a'nd 215 arerespectively energizable to move the collar I98 into engage-- ment withthe hub member I04 or I95. The tensionspring 216 maintains the collar ina central or neutral position when both of the solenoids aredeenergized. The solenoid 214 has one side of its winding connected by aconductor 218 to the third contact of the mercury switch 222, and

the other side of its winding is connected through the conductor'258 tothe line conductor 249. The solenoid 215 has one side of its windingconnected by a conductor 219 to one of the terminals of the mercuryswitch 22I, theother terminal of which connects through the conductor259 to the line conductor248.' The other side of the winding of thesolenoid 215 is connected to the conductor 256 which connects to aterminal of the mercury switch 24I, as previously described.

- Mounted adjacent to thelever m is a rock shaft 28I which has securedthereto a mercury switch 282, preferably having two contacts, and alever arm 283. A member 285 is secured to and extends from the arm 21Iof the lever I I I, and a tension spring 286 connects the member 295 toThe parts are so arranged that when the clutch collar I08 is inengagement with the hub member I05 by reason of energization of thesolenoid 215, the mercury switch will be so positioned as to completethe circuit between its contacts. However, when the clutch collar is ineither of the remaining positions, the spring 286'will have passedacross the axis of the shaft 23 I' to rock the shaft and open thecircuit through the switch.

As shown in Fig. 1, the bracket 10 which is supported by the crossmember I4 has pivotally mounted'thereon an arm 288 which supports at itsouter end a single grooved sheave 289. The arm and sheave are inalignment with the strand as itffirst advances from. the sheave H to thecapstan 15, so that the sheave 289 may ride above link 292 to the arm288. The arrangement is such that when the solenoid is energized, thesheave 289 is drawn down, to place the strand under tension. One side ofthe solenoid winding is connected through the conductor 259 to thelineconconnectthe two levers.

by one or theother line conductor 249.

- As shown in Figs. 2 and8; the actualmechanism for operating theforward driving andreversing clutches difiers slightly from, thearrangement.

shown schematicallyin Fig.4. ,Thearmatures of the solenoids "2'14 and2'55, the latter of which can- -notbe seen inFig. 2, are pivotallyconnectedto a lever. 2S5.which is pivotally supported at 296. Arockshait 291' which is operatively connected to the yoke I ID of Fig. 4extends through the wall of the gear box 93 and carries exteriorlythereof. a lever v293 which is connected'by a tie rod 299 to thelever'295. It is thus apparent that the rocking movement of thelever 295in.response to the operation of either of the solenoidswillresultin anangular movement of the lever 298 and a rocking of theshaft 291. I.

Theyoke H1 of Fig. 4; which operates the.re-. versing clutch ll5isoperatively connected to .a rock shaft 398 which ,extendsfrom thegearbo'x 93-and carries externally-thereof a lever 30'! comprising theangularly extendingl arms 3fl2 and 303. A lever 304 which ispivotallysupported on the:shaft 291 is connected at one end by a tie rod 309 tothe armature of the solenoid 264. The other end ofthe lever .304 isbifurcated'to receive the endof the arm 302which has an elongated slot(not shown). A pin 305.cxtends through .the bifurcated end ofthe lever304 and through'the slot in thearm 302 of the lever 30! to operatively.Thus, when the solenoid 264 is energized; the tie rod 389 is-drawndownwardly, the lever 3841s rocked ina clockwise direction, and thelever 3M and rock shaft 300 are rocked ina counterclockwise direction toengage the reversing clutch. 7 z The arm 303 carried by the lever 30!)cooperates with a lever 306 secured to the rock shaft 291 to form aninterlock between the two clutch operating mechanisms to preventconcurrent engagement of the forward I driving and reversing clutches.The lever 396 is providedat its outer end with a V -shaped notch 301,and the arm 303 carries a pin-3E8 which is disposedwithin the notch.vWhen the reversing solenoid operates, the

lever Sill rocks to move the pi 368 to the center of the notch, and theforward driving clutch must be in its 'neutral position in orderfor thepin to move to thecenter of the notch. The notched lever is thenprevented from moving, and the forward driving clutch cannot be engaged.When either the high speed orlow speed clutching ar-' rangement is inoperation, if the reversing .solenoid should be energized, the pin 308will'be obstructed of the walls of the. notch near the outer endthereof, and will be prevented from moving to the center of the notch;which it must doin order for the reversing clutch to be engaged. In thisway the clutches are interlocked so that the operation of both at thesame time is preeluded. V r

It has previou y been stated. that one of the purposes forwhich amachine embodying the invention maybe employed is thecontinuous'braiding of switchboard cords having ree'nforcedportionscomprising a plurality of layers of braided covering. In one instancethe strand toc; which a braided covering is to be applied consists oiaplurality of three, which er twines, to

have been twisted, together withfillform a substantialln: cylindricalstrands t in the i desired arrangement.

insulated conductors, preferably twine has been woundto"maintain.the'twisted Ac-porti'on of .such a strand isshown in Fig. 5.iniwhich there arethe' insulated conductors 3 l9, the fillertwlnes 3! I,"and. the retaining serving 3 I2; When. such a;:strand is to.re'ceive'abraided covering, a reel containing preferably an unbroken length of thestrand may be mounted 'inzthe hereinbeiore'described supply reelsupport, andthe strand may be threaded into the machine in the manneralso previously described.

strand, and aroundwhicht a retaining serving of ItrShOllldbBrememberedthat the bobbin-car- V riers rotate at. a continuous.velocity; while the linear velocity of thestrand is changed atpredetermined intervals by. the change speed gearing. Theflnumberwofpturns of braiding material ;re-

ceived by the strand perunit of length is there- 1 fore a functionofthe; velocity of the strand.

When thestrand is travelling at its minimum ve:- locity, the greatestnumber ofturns of; braiding material-per unit of length is applied, and.the

braidis described as a slow'or close-meshed braid.

Gonversely, :when the strand is travelling 'at' its maximum velocity,the-least number of turns of braiding .material per unit of length isapplied, and the braid'is describedas affastor openmeshed braid. Thecloseness or tightness. of the braid varies inversely as the velocityof-the, cord. T y r y be observed by including on one of the bobbin caof contrasting charactenallowing the machine to operate-through. acycleof speed changes, and

notingthe distance between, adjacent .turns of the helix; of tracermaterial atjeach speed.

In thepreferred formof the cord; the'major pOltlOn:-0ffaCh'C0rd lengthiscovered with a singlecovering ofbraid of relatively. close mesh, asshown at 315 inFig-Zand thismes'h is defined as thenormal or'slowbraid." Afterithe' normal which results :in an ,increase -in the strand,and theapplicationof afast or open braid theret as shown-at 3l6 in Figs.5, 6 and 7.; After the'open braid hasbeen applied for a predetermineddistance;which' is preferably relatively short as comparedzwitn thenormally braid ed portion and has been applied over the tip49 of themandrel 4 1; the direction of advance of the strandisreversed,anditsvelocity is changed to avalue to produce 'amesh intermediate thoseof the normal and fast braid. -1-' '1he-&reversal of the isagainreversed to advance it in the normal. di= .rection, and the'strandvelocityis changed'to that whichgproduces the normal braid- Athird layerof braiding is thus, superimposed on the other two layers, as shown at 3I 9 in Figs. 6 and7, and this braiding tapers smoothly over-thesevered-dwines at the endof the extra; layers, and continues .as anormal single layer 3 l 5 I applied to newly presented portions of,thestrand. The cyole-may; be repeated 'until the-end of the-strand contaed onetbegsupplr el isreached, aft rv rriers abobbin of tracer materialof the twineatthe point where braidhasmeen applied forjapredetermineddistance a speed change occurs; in. the machine 7 thevelocity" of which the braided strand maybe severed a plurality of timesin equallengths; to produce a pluportion. Thus a cord hasthereenforcement at tionary member one end and a length of exposedopen-meshed orfast' braid at each .end. A connection terminal .such as aswitchboard plug may be secured to the reenforced end, thus providingthe reenforced portion at the place: where the cord is subject to muchhandling.- At the other end, the open-meshed braid may easily be removedor pushed back. to expose the conductor strands for connection purposes.7

Describing in detail the operation of a braiding machine constructed inaccordance with the invention to produce 1 conductor cords as previouslydescribed, Figs. 3 and 4 :show. the-switch 250 closed, to supply motor22 and to the several mercury switchand solenoid circuits to -render themachine opera-' tive. The strand is properly strung through the machinefrom supply reel-to take-up reel and a normal braid isbeingapplied'thereto by reason of the fact that the solenoid. 215'is energized tomaintainthe slow speed clutch comprising the members and 108 inoperativeengagement. The mandrel tube 41 is at its lowest position and thesolenoid 252 is energized to maintain the clutch member 191 inengagement with the sta- 185, bus locking the. shaft 51. The reversingclutch comprising the members 106 and H5 is disengaged and, thetimingpin 216 is approaching the lug 214 carried by the timing bar 200.As' the timing chain advances in the direction indicated by the arrow,thetiming pin is broughtinto engagementwith the lug 214 and asitadvanc'es the 'timing' bar is-also advanced in the same direction torock the shaft 220 and change themercury switches 221 an'd 222 from thefull line position to the dotted position. The movement of the'timingbar also rocks the shaft 298 to move thelever 209 from the full lineposition to the dotted position.

- The movement of the switch 221 opensthe circuit from the lineconductor 248 through-the conductor 259, through the conductor 219,

through the solenoid 215, through'themercury switch 241 and through theconductor 258 to the line conductor 249 whereby the solenoid 215 isdeenergized to disengage the slow speed clutch. The movement of themercury switch 222' opens a circuit through the conductor 259, throughthe conductor 261," through the. solenoid 254, through the conductor266to the mercury switch 241 which is also positioned to maintain thiscircuit'opened, the return to the'line conductor 249 being through theconductor cuit of the reversingclutch solenoid which was open at theswitch 241 I 222. The switch 222 also closes the circuit from the lineconductor 248 through the conductor 259, through the conductor 218,through thesolenoid 214, through the conductor 258- to'the'lineconductor 249 whereby the solenoid 214 is energized todraw the collar,108 into engagement with the hub member 104, thus completing the-highspeed drive. The movement of the arm 111 "whichiop crates a clutchmember 108 causes the shaft 281 to rock, thus changing the mercuryswitch 282 from thefull 'lineposition town-e dotted position electricalenergy to the 258. The cir-.

is also open at the switch.

ana-imermptmg circuit from'the lin'e 'conduc tor 248through theconductor 259, through the 'winding'of the solenoid 298 and through theconductor 258'to the line conductor 249 whereby the solenoid 298 isdeenergized to permit the advancing strand tofdraw the sheave 289 fromthe full line 'position'to the dotted position.

The change from low to high speed in the'g'ear box increases thevelocity of the strand by increasing the velocity-Softhe capstan 15 andthe take-'up19; The speed changes thus described cause the fastor'open-meshed' braid to be applied to the strand. 'The timing. chaincontinues to advance until'the'pin 216 engages and trips the lever arm23.1 which "causes the shaft 230 to be rocked to change themercuryswitch 231 from the full line position to the dotted position. A circuitfrom the line conductor 248 through the conductor 259, through theswitch 231, through the conductor 251 and the winding of the solenoid252, through the conductor 255, through the mercury switch 241 andthrough the .conductor- 258 to the line conductor 249 is.thusinterrupted to deenergize'the relay '252 and permitthe spring25.4"to move the clutch collar 190 into engagement with the rotatablemember 181 which is drivenlby' the sprocket 189. The mandrel elevatingchains 153- are thus'operatively connected to the chain 133 to cause themandrelto move upwardly toward the braiding permits the lever 244 torotate about its pivot point' and .rock the shaft 240 to change themercury switch 241 from the full line position to the dotted position.,.The' change in position of the swit'ch 241 causes the mandrelelevating solenoid circuit which was previously opened by the switch 231to also be opened at the switch 241. The circuit of the slowspeed-operating solenoid 215 which was previously opened at the switch221 is also'opened at 241. The break in the' circuit through the reverseoperating solenoid 2641s now closed by the switch 241 so that it is openonly at the switch 222.

The mandrel tube 41 continues to rise until it reaches the braidingpoint where the open-mesh braiding willbe applied over the conical tipof themandrel and under the shoulder at the base of the .tip. When themandrel tube has reached its uppermost position, one of the pins 51 willhave engaged, the lever 209 and will have returned it to the full lineposition, thus rocking the shaft 208 to reset the timing bar 200 and themercury'switches 221 and 222 to their original positions. The'switch 231will also be returned to its original position by reason of theengagement ofthe portion 211 of the timing oar extension 213 withthelever arm 231. The switch 231 will close at that point, the circuitof the mandrel elevating solenoid 252 which, however, is still open atthe switch 241. .The resetting of the switch 221 will close thecircuitof the slow speed solenoid 215 which also is open at 241. Theresetting of the switch 222 opens the previously described circuitthrough the high speed solenoid z'mto' permit the clutch member 108 tomove to its intermediate orneutral position. At the same time the switch'22 closes the only remaining break in the circuit of the reversingsolenoid 264 so that' the solenoidis energized to draw the 1 clutchmember into engagement with the hub 185 to'reverse the direction ofoperation of the 'shaft125,theshaft- 132, the chain 133, the shaft shaft92 return 51, the shaft I38, the capstan .1 5'and the timing chain H8.The mandreltube 41 thus begins to descend and it carries with it thestrand by reason of the fact that braiding has been applied over theconical tip and under the shoulder. As the strand moves downwardly; asecond layer of braiding is applied over the first layer ofviastandopen-meshed braiding and the'meshof the that exceeds the strand.advancing velocitypf' the capstan '15, and the slippagepermitted by thebelt :54 enables the take-up reel to rotate ,at slower speeds to reelthe strand'as it is supplied. It the take-up reel-were positively drivenin the reverse direction upon reversal of the; movement of the strand,excessive amounts of strand would be unreeled, andupon restoration ofthe normal strand direction; the strand might slip on the capstan andremain stationary while thetakeup reel was rereeling the excess. Byemploying the one wayratchet clutch, the driving portion thereof rotatesin thepreverse direction faster than the driven portion, which mayrotate only fast enough to unreel the desired amount of strand, which isdrawn from the reel by the, capstan, thus keeping the strandbetween thecapstan and reel taut. Thus the; take up reel is ready, immediately uponrestoration ofthe normal movement of the strand, to reel strand advancedby the capstan. v

The mandrel continues to descend until one of the pins 5i engages thelever 2M and moves it downwardly to rock the mercury switch 24! to itsoriginal position. The return ofthe switch 'to its original positioncauses the circuit through the reversing solenoid to open and thecircuits through the mandrel solenoid 252 and'the slow speed solenoid235 to be closed so that those solenoids are energized to lock the-mandrel in the lower position and to operate the mechanism at theminimum speed to return to the ,normal or slowbraiding; I

When the mandrel 41 has been drawnto its lowest position, the cuttermembers .46 enter the slots of the conical tip and the twines which formthe braiding are severediby thecutter members at the point where thefirst reversal occurred. By reason of the inter-twined arrangement or"the braiding twines, some of them will be severed inlone place andothers will be severed in two or more places so' that small pieces ofthe twine will be removedirom thebraiding. These pieces are permitted to.fall through the hollow tube to the bottom thereof from which they maybe removed in any suitable manner such as by suction means not shown. 'i

The sheave 239, which is drawn'againstithe strand by the solenoid 290 atthe beginning of the slow speed advance of the'strand, prevents pilingof the braid at or near the pointofbeginning of the normal braid bycausing a sudden shift of the strand in the direction of advance.

With the return of the switch 24.! to its original position all or" themechanisms driven from the the outer or normal braid is applied over thetwo layers previously applied. 1 The third layer continues to be applieduntil thelower end of the reenforced positionwhere the twines weresevered approaches the braiding point. The sevreenforcing tending fromto their normal operation and,

erance'o'f the twinesfperm'its the ends-thereof;

which may be of varying lengths, to be arranged evenly and,fiatlyagainst so thatthe normal braiding continues over thesevered'threads to newly 'presentedportions of r the strand in a smoothand even taper. ;If the .co rd-:should; be' braided withoutsevering thethreads at the junction of the first and second layers, an abrupt changein the di ameter, of the strand might, 'in some instances,

result at that; point, sothat after the outer'braid' was applied, acovered shoulder would exist in the strand, and-when" used in theconventional type of switchboard,. excessive wear on the cord mightresult at the shoulder. The normal braidingof a single coveiifor .thestrand continues until the timingpin 2-16 is advanced to engage-i thebody of. the strand ment with-the lug 2 I} when the above described isrepeated. 3,"the timing pin cycle of operations I As shownin Fig.2l6extends from the inner, and outer sidesof the timing chaim and itsinner portion engagesthejlug 2M to.;actuate .the mechanism to produceexposed open-meshed braid anditsouter end engages the lever arm 23l.toactuatethe mechanism to pro-- duce reenforcing layers. fIt'is apparentthat ad-' ditional pins similar to the pin' 216 may be mounted onthe,chain in equal or :unequal'spacingv arrangement to produce a pluralityof-correspondingly spaced reenforcement's preceded by exposedopen-meshed braid, during one. cycle of operation of thetiming chain.

1 It is also possibleto change the nature of the strandassembly byproviding one or' more pins extehding-onlyirom the outer side of thechain to engage only the lever arm 231. Suchpins would cause the tionshaving open-meshed braid as a foundation for the reenforcement, .but'having no exposed open-meshed braid. Forexample, one pin extheouter-side of the chain might be providedin advance of; the pin 2 l 8,to produce a reenforceme'nt immediatelyfollowing the nor-' mally braidedbody portion of the cord, and havingno exposed open-meshed braid- Thispin-may be so spaced from the pin 2H5 that immediately upon thecompletion of this reenforcement, the pin; 216 may operate to produce ashort length production of reenforced 'por-.

of exposed open braid,; followed by a'reenforce ment. In this way, astrand may be :braided which has alternate closely spaced andrelativelywidely separated reenforced spaced reeniorcements being separated Ebyexposed open-meshed braid, and the portion between .the widely.separated-reenforcements havportions, the closely 1 ing normalbraidingthereon. The strand may be severed in the portions having theexposed open braid, thus producing cords having reenforced'portions'near, each end, and open-.meshed the sprocket I34 is removed and anotheris. sub- 7 stituted therefor which islarger or smallenand which has moreor less teeth, the chain I33'will I be driven correspondingly faster or.slower to render the .mesh of the braiding at all speeds closeror moreopenin the same proportion. The

pointsto vary the dimensions lengths of the cord, thereenforcedportiomand changed, but

, same amount.

applied. If the distance the several types of braiding will remainunsince the quantity of twine applied to unit length of the strand is afunction'of the strand velocity, the mesh of all of the types ofbraiding will be altered in proportion to the in-' crease or decrease inthevelocity of the chain layers of braiding is determined bythe distancebetween the top'of the mandrel and the braiding point, which is the pathof travel of the mandrel.

This distance may be altered by varying. the

height of the cylindrical tube 36 with respect to the tube 34, the holes31 and pin 39 being provided for that purpose. The effect of reducingthe distance of travel of the mandrel is to reduce the length of thereenforced portion by an equal amount. Since the open'braid is appliedfrom the time the timing bar is tripped until it is reset at thetermination'of the upward movement of the mandrel, the'lengthofthe openbraid will be reduced by the same amount, the reduction occurring in theportion covered by the reenforc ing layers The portion of the open braidthat is exposed, the length of the normal braid, and the overall lengthof the cord 7 An increase in the distance from the'mandrel to thebraiding point produces in the cord similar changes in oppositesense. Y

The lug 214 carried by the timing bar'is made adjustable by means of the'slot in the harm order'that its distance from the lever arm 23! may bevaried. "This distance determines the quantity of open braiding that isexposed, and therefore the quantity of normal braiding that is isincreased, the length of the portion of the cord having exposed openbraiding is increased, and the length of the portion havingnormalbraiding is decreased by the Conversely, a decrease in the distancedecreasesthe open braid and increases the normal braid by equal amounts.Changing the position of the lug 2|4 does not affect the length of thereenforced portiomnor the overall length of 'the cord.

It is also possible to vary the overall length'of the cord. This maybeaccomplished-by changing the sizeofeither of the gears 14! and I14 tochange the gear ratio therebetween. I For facilitating such a change,'theidler gear mounted on a movable; supportllfi, so. that it may meshwith a larger or smaller gear I41 or I'M. ingxperiod of the timing'chainwithout afiect-' ing the speed of the capstan that advances the strand.Anincrease in the speed of operation of thetiming chain will decreasethe'time requiredto complete a cycle, and since the capstan speed is notafieoted, a smaller amount of strand will reach the braiding point, andthe cord will be shorter. The shortening, however,

will occur in the normal braiding and'in'the exposed portion of thelength of the reenforced fected, as it is determined entirely by the'disopen braiding, but the tance of travel of the mandrel Areductiorrin,

The lengthof strand that receives reenforcing action of the braids 316remain unchanged.

I13 may be,

The effect of this is to change the'operatportion will'not be afothers,but that all of the adjustmentsare compatible and may be made or changedat any time to vary the length of the cord, the length of the reenforcedportion, the-relative lengths of n0rmal and exposedopen braid, and thetexture of mesh of the braids, to satisfy any desired conditionsr Theoperation of cuttersdfi and the mandrel 41 maybe briefly summarized asfollows: As the braid 316' (Fig. 5) is nearing completion the mandrel 41(Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5) israised so that the braid 316 is applied over themandrel head 49 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5) at which time the motion of themandrel 41 is reversed so that the second braid 311 is applied overthemandrel head 69 as shown in Fig. 5 and continued up over the firstbraid 316 as the braided portion is pulled downward into the machine bymeans of the gripping and 3|! on the mandrel head 49. The tube '36(Figs. 1, 2 and 3) carrying cutters 46 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) is positionedso that when the desired length of the secondbraid 3 l l is completedthe mandrel 41 will have brought the cutting edges of the blades 46 intothe slots 48 (Fig. 5) to the junction of the straight portion'of themandrel 4'! andthe conical tip 59, thereby bringing the junction of thebraids 316 and 3!"! down past the upper cutting edges of the cutters 46and causing them to slit the two braids for a short distancelongitudinally. At this time the motion of the mandrel 41 is arrestedand the cord again moved in a forward direction by means of the capstan,starting the application of the third braid 3 I 9 (Fig. 6) and pullingthe two braids 3l6 and 3!! off of the mandrel head 49, thereby causingthe threads forming the braids SIG and 3 I 7 to fray out as shown at 3 I8 (Fig. 6). The motion of the cord is continued in a forward directionso that the third braid 319 is continued downward over the cut ends ofbraids 316 and 3 l l, which results in a gradual change in the diameterof the cord as shown in Fig. 7.

Although in the drawings and foregoing description, one embodiment of aconductor cord and of a methodand apparatus and arrangement of parts forbraiding it have been shown and described, it should be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the particular embodiment shown anddescribed, but that it contemplates and is'capable of many changes,substitutions, and modifications within-the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is: e

l. A method of assembling strands, which coniprises braiding a pluralityof threads upon a moving strand to form a covering therefor, reversingthe threads and'braiding a second covering over a portion of thepreviously braided strand, severing the threads at the point ofreversal, reversing the threads and braiding a covering over the secondcovering, over the severed threads, and over newly presented portions ofthe strand.

' '2. A method of assembling strands, which comprises loosely braiding aplurality of threads upon a strand fora portion of its length, reversingthe threads and more tightly braiding the threads in a reversedirectionover a portion of the loose braiding, severing the braiding and cuttingaway portions thereof at the point of reversal, reversing the threadssubstantially simultaneously with the cutting, and still more tightlybraiding an outer covering over the reverse braiding, and over the mainbody of the strand. and again applying a loosely braided portion spacedfrom the other. 3. In a strand assembly, acore, a braided covercoveringdoubled back over and continuous with the second covering and taperedover the severed ends of the first and second coverings.

5. In a strand assembly, a core, anda braided covering thereforincluding a loosely braided portion at one end, 'a reenforcing portionat the other end comprising a plurality of layers of braided material,and a tightly braidedportion extending from the loosely braided portionto the reenforcing layers. I

6. A method of assembling strands which'comprises the steps ofcontinuously braiding a continuous covering normally ofv one layer upona moving strand and forming the same covering at predetermined intervalsand over predetermined distances to produce three continuouslyinterconnected superimposed layers, and severing the braiding materialconnecting theinmost layer to the intermediate layer.

'7. A'method of assembling strands which comprises the steps ofcontinuously braiding a continuous covering normally of one layer upon amoving strand and forming the same covering at. predetermined intervalsand over predeter mined distances to produce three continuouslyinterconnected superimposed layers.

7 7 BEN K. FORD.

reenforced end and tapered over one end of the LEO L. WEAVER. 2O

